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College to Raise Major Money
For New Dorm, Labs...and More
by Chelsea Haines
President Lunsford Speaks with Hilltop Reporters (Jay Gillie photo)
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Mars Hill College trustees have approved a $38 million fundraising campaign.
So far the college has received a little more than $16 million in donations and pledges, said President Dan Lunsford during a faculty meeting in Broyhill Chapel on September 16.
He is looking to receive 55 to 60% of $38 million in pledges before going public with specific projects and making major announcements to the community. Right now during the "Silent Phase" of the fundraiser, the college is targeting specific donors capable of making large donations before asking for smaller gifts as a part of their marketing strategy.
The campaign is expected to cost $200,000.
The $38 million will benefit the campus community in several ways and was chosen as a figure that both Lunsford and the board felt was attainable.
- $7.5 million will be put towards student housing, with $4.5 million of that earmarked for a new dorm and the rest being used to renovate existing dorms.
- $3 million will be spent on improving athletic facilities, namely soccer, track, baseball, and football.
- $17.6 million will improve academic facilities, with $14 million of that amount going to renovate Wall Science Building and build new science and math labs, and the rest for such projects as stabilizing the structure of Marshbanks and adding Theatre Arts support space.
- $1 million will provide faculty enrichment directed towards departmental chairs and sending faculty to professional conferences.
- $6 million will be directed to the annual fund, which will be used without any restrictions to operate the college.
- $3.5 million will be added to the endowment.
The endowment is an investment account that provides funds for the college through interest, dividends, and growth. It is currently worth about $28.4 million, of which about $20 million supports scholarships alone.
This year the Bonner Foundation has pledged a donation of $4.5 million to the endowment, and in return the college has agreed to raise a $2 million match for the Bonner Program. The income generated by the combined $6.5 million is intended to assure support for Bonner scholarships at the college for the foreseeable future.
Soon construction on a new dormitory behind Moore Auditorium will begin. According to President Lunsford, "The decision was made to start the new dorm process by building a new facility in the slope behind Moore but directly below Brown and Gibson dorms --as you turn in to go by Moore Auditorium, down there to the left of where those propane gas tanks used to be, in that slope. And we will expand that parking lot in that particular area." Lunsford is looking to break ground on the new dorm before May 2005. It will have 72 to 74 beds.
Plans for replacing the townhouses and apartments have not been abandoned, but remodeling them now would take away existing beds. Building the new dorm in an empty area will cause less inconvenience, Lunsford said. "We cannot close a dorm to build a dorm, given our growth of student population . . . we have to add beds." Eventually the townhouses and apartments will be torn down and replaced with new ones converting a 40-bed unit to a space with 70 beds.
Lunsford realizes that the construction "will be disturbing to the young people when they want to sled in the wintertime . . . [but] this will make student housing more friendly for students with handicapping conditions."
Right now, he said, a student who uses a motorized chair to get around campus must navigate a steep hill between the dorms and the classrooms. Lunsford noted that he "isn't thrilled" with the idea of a wheelchair on that hill during icy winter weather.
The athletic improvements center mainly around playing surfaces. A soccer field will be constructed behind Fox, along with additional parking. The baseball field will undergo work, and a rubberized track will be added. The creek bank will be stabilized, decreasing erosion, and a 250-foot bridge will be built over the creek between the football and baseball fields. New visitor's bleachers will then be added alongside the football field. .
Some smaller gifts will go toward improving student activities. For example, there are plans to spend $185,000 renovating the patio behind Wren Student Union. Rooms in Wren were remodeled this summer for the fitness center and a new game room. The money used for these renovations as well as others in Memorial Library were a part of the Parham gift, left to the college by Lib and Dexter Parham in their will. Their photographs are on display in the lower level of Blackwell.
In an interview September 21 with the Hilltop staff, Lunsford said he has also asked for a plan from Student Life on how to spend a new small addition in the student activity budget. The Student Government Association recently approved a student fee increase of $50 a year for traditional students and $25 a year for commuters, to be spent only on student activities. That increase, however, will not go into effect this school year because tuition and fees have already been published.
Lunsford said he hopes to keep future tuition increases low. The college this year had the lowest percentage tuition increase in 6 years, at 3 percent, and "I want to keep that to the smallest amount I can," said Lunsford.
Many trustees have already showed great support for the fund-raising efforts, donating millions of dollars. There has been one $6 million promise already, with another commitment of $3.5 million, and another of $1 million. Part of the challenge has been to "figure out where people have interests," said Lunsford. Many people would rather donate money for certain projects they are interested in, such as the building of a track or a new science lab.
Lunsford said that campus communication with trustees has improved through restructured committees, which give faculty and students a voice. The respect and working relationships have significantly improved, he said. "These trustees are investing in this institution," said Lunsford. "We are thrilled and appreciative of that, and we will be celebrating them as we proceed this academic year."
Also assisting with this story were Hilltop reporters Matt Davis, Jay Gillie, Elizabeth Gunderson, Dan Miller, Cassie Moore, Rob Taylor, Tania Valdizan, and Michael Wade.
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